Episode 408: Explaining Your MS to All Those Well-Meaning Family Members and Friends Who Get It Wrong with Kris Inman
RealTalk MS23 Jun 2025

Episode 408: Explaining Your MS to All Those Well-Meaning Family Members and Friends Who Get It Wrong with Kris Inman

Have you experienced those familiar feelings of frustration when the people closest to you don't seem to get your MS? Do you find yourself explaining and re-explaining things to well-meaning friends, co-workers, and even family members?

Kris Inman's wife, Mariah, was diagnosed with MS in 2020, and, since then, Kris has been Mariah's care partner and an active member of the MS community. This week, Kris joins me to talk about overcoming the challenge of helping your friends and family understand what an MS diagnosis means and what living with MS is really like.

We're also sharing research results that show that someone's age at the time they experience the first symptoms of MS can determine whether they experience a better physical or mental health-related quality of life.

We'll tell you about a report issued jointly by the MS Society in the UK and the Work Foundation at Lancaster University that details specific challenges people with MS face in the workplace.

We'll give you the details about the National MS Society's Fast Forward investment in Neurogenesis, a biotech company developing a proprietary stem cell therapy designed to treat progressive MS.

And we'll share news about the Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS), a device that's used in combination with physical therapy to reduce walking problems for people with MS.

We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

This Week: The frustration you might feel when some of the people closest to you don't really seem to get your MS. :22

Study results show that the age of MS onset can be predictive of physical and mental health-related quality of life 1:27

A report details challenges faced in the workplace by people living with MS in the UK 4:28

The MS Society's Fast Forward program has made an investment in Neurogenesis, a biotech company developing a proprietary cell therapy designed to treat progressive MS 8:00

Aetna Healthcare has become the third major private insurer to offer reimbursement for the PoNS device 11:00

Kris Inman discusses the finer points of being an MS care partner 14:17

Share this episode 29:13

Have you downloaded the free RealTalk MS app? 29:32

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS

Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/408

ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION

I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts!

Email: jon@realtalkms.com
Phone: (310) 526-2283

And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group!

LINKS

If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com

Become an MS Activist
https://nationalmssociety.org/advocacy

Act Now! Contact Your Senators About Medicaid and Health Coverage
https://nmss.quorum.us/campaign/127768

STUDY: Age of Multiple Sclerosis Symptom Onset Affects Mental and Physical Health-Related Quality of Life in Opposite Directions
https://sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2211034825003037

REPORT: No Compromises: Supporting People with MS to Thrive In and Out of Work
https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/lums/work-foundation/reports/WF_MSSNoCompromises-SupportingpeoplewithMStothriveinandoutofwork.pdf

Neurogenesis
https://neurogenesis-cell.com

The Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS)
https://ponstherapy.com

Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group
https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms

Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Devices
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/realtalk-ms/id1436917200

Download the RealTalk MS App for Android Devices
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.realtalk

Give RealTalk MS a rating and review
http://www.realtalkms.com/review

Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com.

RealTalk MS Episode 408
Guest: Kris Inman

Privacy Policy

Episoder(505)

Episode 451: Meet the 2026 Winner of the John Dystel Prize for MS Research with Dr. Ludwig Kappos

Episode 451: Meet the 2026 Winner of the John Dystel Prize for MS Research with Dr. Ludwig Kappos

The annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology is underway in Chicago this week, and one of the highlights is the presentation of the John Dystel Prize for Research in Multiple Sclerosis, awa...

20 Apr 32min

Episode 450: Exercise is Medicine for People with MS with Dr. Robert Motl

Episode 450: Exercise is Medicine for People with MS with Dr. Robert Motl

An exercise program can be hard to start and even more difficult to stick with. But the evidence-based benefits speak for themselves. For people living with MS, it can mean improving quality of life w...

13 Apr 33min

Episode 449: Putting People Affected by MS at the Center of MS Research with Sara Loud, Stephanie Buxhoeveden, and Hollie Schmidt

Episode 449: Putting People Affected by MS at the Center of MS Research with Sara Loud, Stephanie Buxhoeveden, and Hollie Schmidt

When you join the iConquer MS community, you're no longer just a patient; you become a research partner. Not just a data point in someone's study. You become the person to suggest the study, to help d...

6 Apr 37min

Episode 448: At the National MS Society's Public Policy Conference with David, Cliff, and Michelle

Episode 448: At the National MS Society's Public Policy Conference with David, Cliff, and Michelle

Last week, about 170 MS activists from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C. to participate in the National MS Society's Public Policy Conference. It's hard to come away from this event and ...

30 Mar 31min

Episode 447: Walking with Many Sisters Toward a Cure with Brigitte Delaney

Episode 447: Walking with Many Sisters Toward a Cure with Brigitte Delaney

In 1988, there were just 42 Walk MS events, raising approximately $4 million. In 2025, there were 170 events across the country that raised over $30 million. As the largest private funder of MS resear...

23 Mar 23min

Episode 446: MS Advocacy and the National MS Society's Public Policy Conference with Steffany Stern

Episode 446: MS Advocacy and the National MS Society's Public Policy Conference with Steffany Stern

175 MS activists are heading to Washington, D.C. next week for the National MS Society's Public Policy Conference. Their mission: to bring the concerns of the MS community directly to lawmakers on Cap...

16 Mar 34min

Episode 445: It's MS Awareness Week with Kristine Werner Ozug and Kim, Kim, and Kim

Episode 445: It's MS Awareness Week with Kristine Werner Ozug and Kim, Kim, and Kim

It's MS Awareness Week, and this year we're diving into a theme that hits home for millions: Unseen MS. Multiple sclerosis is a master of disguise; it can be entirely invisible to the naked eye while ...

9 Mar 40min

Episode 444: Treating MS with a GLP-1 with Dr. Ellen Mowry

Episode 444: Treating MS with a GLP-1 with Dr. Ellen Mowry

You know them by their trade names such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound. This class of medications is known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. And while they are best known for managing diabetes a...

2 Mar 31min

Populært innen Helse

fastlegen
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
rss-gukild-johaug
hvordan-har-du-det-mann
psykodrama
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
leger-om-livet
rss-garne-damer
foreldreradet
bak-fasaden-en-reise-i-livet-med-sykepleier-ine
hormonelle-frida
hjernesterk
g-punktet
rss-lopedrommen
morten-ramm-lar-kakla-ga-til-du-sovner
klimaks
biohacking-girls-din-podcast-for-optimal-helse
helsetipspodden
treningsprat
sinnsyn